The Soldier's Details

Left:   Bob Crawford who piped units as they departed Northam Army Camp.  Right:   Jim Howe

 

At Selarang Barracks James Howe was selected with ‘A’ Force to work on the Railway.  With Green Force No. 3 Battalion he was transported from Singapore by ship to Rangoon, Burma.  It is known he worked at Reptu 30 k and was at Thanbyuzyat 27th October 1942 with a work party, and at 105 k camp.  He was selected for Japan on 28 March 1944 with Kumi No. 40.

Please read further about ‘A’ Force Burma, Green Force 

There were 717 Australians selected for what was to be the Rakuyo Maru Party.  On 27th March 1944 the first kumis departed Tamarkan for Kanchanaburi then to Non Pladuk. From here they travelled through Bangkok to Phnom Penh in Cambodia where a river boat named Long Ho would take them to Saigon into French Indo-China.  It is was intended to send the POWs to Japan from here, however IJA decided the seas were too heavily patrolled by Allied submarines and the Kumis were turned around and sent back mostly by train via Bangkok to Singapore to board the Rakuyo Maru.

‘Howe and Manwaring were with ‘Rakuyo’ Maru party headed to Japan.  They both became ill in Saigon and were left behind when their Party unable to safely leave Saigon harbour area because of the American sea blockade,  returned to Singapore to leave on ‘Rakuyo’ Maru.  Howe and Manwaring were the ‘lucky’ ones!  Tragically the ‘Rakuyo’ Maru was sunk and only a few fortunate men surviving.’

Howe was very fortunate he remained behind in Saigon.  He was recovered from Saigon on 20th September 1945 with other 2/4th men, Bryan Manwaring, Harold Clayden and Leonard Greaves.

Most of those onboard the Rakuyo Maru perished at sea when the ship was sunk in the South China Sea.

Read about the Saigon Party

Also Saigon

James Howe moved to live in Melbourne in 1946.

 

We have been unable to find many details of Jim Howe – please go to bottom on page for updates!

He died 3 Sept 1984 and is recorded at the Garden of Remembrance, Nedlands.  Jim Howe died 1980s at Coffs Harbour where he had been living.

Howe’s personal details recorded with AIF and Japanese records provide varying information.  His sister Eleanor Malin with an England address was his NOK.   He wrote his birth place was Victoria.

On his Japanese records his father’s name is Charles and his mother is Louise Howe (nee Matthews).  His home address was Jingmia, WA –  This was in the Koorda Shire.

‘As the railway line was extended the next siding on the route was near the old Chinkymia Soak. The line from Kulja to Bonnie Rock was finished by the end of April, 1930 and sidings cut up and named at Jingymia and Mollerin. Protests were made about the spelling of the old Chinkymia but with no results.
At one time there was a shop at Jingymia but nothing now remains of the bin, the store or the siding.’

On his discharge paper his address is 109 Victoria Street, Mosman Park.

 

 

HOWE JAMES : Service Number – WX6967 : Date of birth – 16 Jun 1909 : Place of birth – VIC : Place of enlistment – CLAREMONT WA : Next of Kin – MALIN ELENOR – [Black and White negative – identity photograph] – Page 1 of 1

 

Below:  The only information found to date on agricultural Jingmia (Chinkymia) 28 Feb 1926.

I found the following on’ The Wartime Memories Project – Moulmein POW Camp during 2nd World War’

https://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/ww2/pow/powcamp.php?pid=8465

The information contained answers all our queries!